Lucas bakeb



L. BAKER. METHOD FOR SECURING SEATS AND BACKS 0F CHAIRS, SOFAS, &c.

. Patented June 28, 1870.

I iilnitci san gait-ct Gtiiiilnr.

LUGAS BAKER, OF TEMPLETON, MASSACHUSETTS.

Letters Patent 1v 104,315, dated Jjzmc 28, 1870.

MPROVED METHOD FOR SECURING SEATS AND BACKS OI CHAIRS. SOIAS, 8w.

he Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

To all whom itmay concern ton, in the county of Worcester and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented a new and improved Method of Securing the Seats and Backs of Chairs,

;Sofa s, Ottomans, Stools, and any other similar .furnitare, when the same are composed of cane, canvas,

carpet, or any other flexible fabric, to the frames there .of; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full and exact description, of my invention.

The nature of my invention consists in securing the seat or hack tothe frame of the piece of furniture" designed to be covered, by cutting with a saw, chisel, or other tool, a narrow and deep groove in the upper surface in that part of the flame of thepiece of fur- .niture called the rail, anddriving the fabric into this mess asito-fcrm a fold, by means of a thin plate of steel or'die,'and then removing the plate of steel, thefabricbeihg"retained in its place. by the natural compression'of the sides of thegroove, tween required, by gluelorother adhesive substance, with which the groove may-beprevionsly fillc'd;

. To enable others skilled in theart' to make and use my; invention, 'Lwill proceed to desoribezits operation, relerence being made to the drawing making part of Ithis'speciH ation, at first setting forth the state of the at the time ofmaking my invention. It is well known that the bottoms and backs of chairs or other furniture, when composed of carpeting, canvas, or other flexible fabric, have, prior to my invention, been secured to the frame or rails of thesome other similar'contrivance, or by glue, or someother adhesive substance, applied to the plane or smooth surface of the frame. Where the bottom or back has been composed of cane orsplit. bamboo, as in the ordinary cane-seated chair, it has been secured by the strands being passed through holes in the edge of the frame or rail of the chair, and securedon the under side by a knot, twist or loop, or other similar contrivancc.

Upon, the recent improvements in the wearing of cane fabric for the bottoms and backs of chairs, it became necessary to adopt some new method of securing it to theframe. The following devices have been o 'niture, laying the fabric overit, and driving it securely Be it known that I, Locus BAKER, of Temple into' the groove by means of a bent or curved strip of wood calledaspline, which conforms exactly, and flts closely into the groove, .the fabric being jammed in between the surfaces and edges of the splineand the groove. This method is open to objection, in that it is necessary, in order to eflectively secure the fabric, that therspline should fit exactly into the groove, and conform itself to'the curve of the frame or rail.

The third method is similar to the second, the only difference being that the fabric passes over the spline,-

coming from the intersticc between the spline-and that side of the groove furthest removed from the center of the back or seat. It is thought that this method is more veffectual.

The method which I haveinvented is morefsimple,

more eflicient, and less expensive, than any other in use, It dispenses entirely with the rib or spline used in othermethods. It can be used equally well with case, carpet, canvas, or other flexible fabric, and is open to none of the-objections to which the other methods are liable.

' 'I cut-with a small, thin chisel or any other sharp pointed tool, inarrow groove around the seat-flame, or rail, or bac -,frame of the chair or other piece of furniture, or other frame, designed to secure the flexible fabric near the inner edge and on the upper surface of th o.same,'-as shown in the-accompanyingdrawing, in figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4, at d.

' Figure 1 being a perspective drawing of a portion of the frame or rail, with the fabric attached;

' Figure 2 being a 'cross section of the same, showing the fold of the fabric when secured in the groove, the plate c having been withdrawn from the same.

Figure 3 being aeross-sectiomshowing the fabric a b, the groove (1, and the steel plate 0, before it is introduced into the groove.

The width of the groove varies according to the thickness of the material designed to be used for the seat or back, whether cane, cloth, canvas, carpeting, hide, or leather.

The depth of the groove is suchas to securely hold the material'or fabric, and will vary'according. tethestrength and thickness of the frame. v

There are, obviously, various modes of cutting the groove d. This may be done by a sharp-pointed tool held in the hand, or by one mechanically secured, and actuated by power or otherwise. The groove is then thoroughly ln-ted with glue. I may also use resin, starch, de-xtrine, paste, varnish, .or any other adhesive substance.

I provide a thin plate of steel, 0, not exceeding onefiftieth of an inch in thickness. This may be of any length or width best suited to the work. Having cut the fabric into the exact form required, I place lt'nnon the frame with the edge extending over the groove 2. little less than the depth of the same, as shown in fig. .3 at a, at being the fabric, 0 the steel plate or spatula, and d the groove.

1 then, by applying the edge of such thin plate or ,steel to the fabric, press the same into the groove so plate 0. Instead of a single plate, a series, of plates may be used, applied successively by power, or otherwise; or, the plate may be fixed to a frame conforming in shape to the entire groove out in the bottom or back of the chair, andmay be operated by power or otherwise, as a die, to fix, by asingle stroke, the edge of the whole piece of fabric in the groove.

The above-described method rnay be applied to se-Q curing any flexible fabric to any supporting frame.

I claim the combination. of the narrow, grooved frame A, and the tightly folded edge a f of the seat or covering a b, the latter being inserted ,in said groove, and retained therein without the use of any fixed retaining wedge, strip, or frame, substantially in the manner as above specified.

LUCAS BAKER.

Witnesses:

WILLIAM A. Hares, J r., WM. F.SLOGUM. 

